Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in Beijing Sunday that China has taken notice of the launching activity by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday morning, and also noticed responses from relevant parties.

"The DPRK earlier announced to launch experimental communications satellite. We have taken notice of the launching activity by the DPRK this morning, and also noticed responses from relevant sides," Jiang said.

"We hope relevant parties to keep calm and restraint, properly handle this issue, and work together to safeguard peace and stability of the region," Jiang said.

"China will continue to play a constructive role for this purpose," the spokeswoman added.

Media reports said the DPRK launched a rocket from a site in northeastern DPRK at 11:30 a.m. local time (0230 GMT) on Sunday. The launch has been confirmed by the governments of Japan, the Republic of Korea(ROK) and the United States.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Sunday afternoon to discuss the DPRK launch activity. The UN spokesperson's Office told Xinhua that the 15-nation council will start to meet at 15:00 EDT (1900 GMT).

(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2009)